Malaysia to deport North Korean detained in airport murder probe

Malaysia's National Police Deputy Inspector-General Noor Rashid Ibrahim (front L) speaks in front of a screen showing detained North Korean Ri Jong Chol during a news conference regarding the apparent assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader, at the Malaysian police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/Files

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia will on Friday release and deport a North Korean held in custody by police investigating the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told Reuters on Thursday.

The attorney general said in a text message that there was insufficient evidence to charge Ri Jong Chol, who had been arrested in Kuala Lumpur four days after the Feb. 13 murder. Ri held a work permit that had been valid till Feb. 6, 2017.

Malaysia has charged a Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman with murder. Police also want to question seven other North Koreans, including a senior official in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.